Harry's Twin - Book One // Complete // Editing

Get the Mail, Harry

I get let out of my closet a week before Harry does. By the time he's out, the summer holidays have started. Dudley has already broken his new video camera and crashed his remote control aeroplane. Not only that, the first time riding his new racing bike, he knocked poor Mrs. Figg down as she was crossing the street on her crutches.

I'm almost glad school is over, but it's worse being stuck at home. I feel like I can't escape Dudley's gang. They're at the house everyday. Piers, Dennis, Gordon and Malcolm are all big, stupid gits, but as Dudley is the biggest, stupidest git, he is their 'leader'. 

Dudley has two favourite sports, in which the rest of his crew love to join him in. Those sports are known as Harry Hunting and Lydia Leering. As a result of these games, Harry and I spend most of our time out of the house. All we do is walk around the neighbourhood and talk. Or we don't. Sometimes we just let our feet go where they want to and don't say a word. We often find ourselves thinking about the end of the holidays. Get this - we're going to finally be attending secondary school. For the first time, we're not going to the same school as Dudley! Dudley is going to the school which Vernon once attended, Smeltings. It's private and you have to get acceptance letters and do all these other official things. Piers Polkiss is going there, too. Harry and I are going to the local public school, Stonewall. Dudley finds this overly funny. Which is, of course, because he thinks he's better than us for going to private school, with a somewhat better reputation.

"Hey, Harry," Dudley taunts. "I hear they stuff people's heads down toilets on their first day at Stonewall. Want to come upstairs and practise?"

"No thanks," Harry replies. "The poor toilet has never had anything as nasty as your head down it - it just might be sick!" Harry runs outside, me following closely, before Dudley can even begin to comprehend what Harry said.

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One day in July, Petunia takes Dudley out to buy his new Smeltings uniform. This would be insignificant, but because those two are out, and Vernon is working, Harry and I are forced to spend the day with Mrs. Figg. She shows us pictures of cats and gives us one piece of chocolate each. Though it's a nice gesture, the chocolate tastes like she's had it for seven years. At least.

Later in the evening, Dudley is prancing around in his new uniform. Petunia claps and smiles proudly. Vernon can't stop talking about how special Dudley is and how he can't believe Dudley is following in his footsteps. Then Petunia bursts into tears and cries, "Oh, my ickle Dudleykins is growing up too fast! I can't believe how grown up he looks. My boy, you are very handsome!"

 Harry and I don't dare to speak, but that doesn't stop me from bursting out laughing - but only once I've safely locked myself in the bathroom. I don't really want to serve another prison sentence in my closet.

Next morning, I enter the kitchen, followed my brother, only to be greeted by a horrible smell. It seems to be coming from the kitchen sink. I make my way over to have a closer look. Aunt Petunia is standing over a big metal basin, which is inside the sink. It's filled with what looks like old rags swimming in a filthy, grey-tainted liquid.

"What's that?" Harry asks, carelessly. Doesn't he know by now that the Dursleys don't like us asking questions?

Aunt Petunia curls her lip, just like any other time one of us asks a question. "Your new uniform, boy. I'm doing yours next," she answers, sounding annoyed. She directs the last part at me.

Harry looks into the bowl again. "Huh," he says. "Didn't realise it had to be so wet." I step on his toe, as Aunt Petunia grows even more annoyed. "What was that for?" he mutters, angrily.

"Don't make her mad, idiot," I reply, my voice so quiet only Harry can hear it.

"Don't be stupid," Aunt Petunia says. "I'm dying some old things of Dudley's grey for you. It'll look just like everyone else's in just a tick." She pauses to mix it around. "As for you, Lydia, I brought some old things at a second hand store and I'm going to dye them."